What is the safest way to cut a rabbet?

[Tom Jones III]

I need to cut a rabbet 3/8" deep by 1" across, then turn the piece around and do it again on the other side making a T shape where the T is 1/2" tall and 3" wide overall. I know there are a bunch of ways to do this, but what is the safest way?

I like the shaper b/c it has good hold downs and blade guard. The jointer also seems pretty safe but would take several passes for each rabbet. I'm rarely very happy using the dado on the TS, especially when making the second rabbet and there is only the middle of the T on the table.

More info:
I've got 5 pieces to make, all roughly 30" long.

[Ted Miller]

Tom, For me it depends on if I want to remove the guard off my jointer or if I want to set up my dado head. It also depends on what this rabbet is for, cabinet or furniture. If I was only do two rabbets at 3/8" deep x 1" I would go with my jointer...

[Jon Shively]

I voted for the table saw but the smart aleck side of me was thinking, "a sharp knife and someone else holding him upside down!"

[Andrew Williams]

Cut the T-shape (one rabbet and one groove) out on the tablesaw (using dado set) while it is still attached to the wide board. Use rubber floats to apply even pressure downward into the cutter. Once the rabbet and groove are cut to proper widths, turn the board over and rip the T-molding free from the board using tablesaw again. Use a thin boot-heel push stick to maintain control of the T-molding.

[Mark Singer]

if the piece is at least 16" long the tablesaw is a very good way. Just use a redular blade not a dado and a digital caliper. Have a piece of scrap the same size to practice. Use the caliper to set the blade height and fece distance to the blade. Make one cut....reset the saw....turn the piece 90 degrees and make the second cut. The waste is a small square ripped piece. If there is a little ledge on the inside corner a shoulder plane works great.

[Von Bickley]

I agree with Mark Singer....

[Mike K Wenzloff]

You asked "safest" and so here is the safest. As it turns out, it's pretty darn quick as well. It is a moving fillister plane. Skewed blade so cutting across the grain works very well too. And no need to chase the corner with a shoulder plane...

http://www.wenzloffandsons.com/temp/m_fillister2.jpg

Take care, Mike

[Joe Meazle]

Mike beat me to it. i got to get up eariler.

[Tom Jones III]

I actually thought about the hand plane route. All I have is a modern Stanley filister, if I had a better one I might have tried it. Also having about 30' of 1" wide rabbets to cut in walnut is a little daunting with a hand plane.

[Bruce Benjamin]

I like using a router with the EZ Smart. Mount the router on the SRK router attachment and it's virtually impossible for either the router or the wood to make any unexpected movements. My hands are kept a safe distance from the bit too. Fast, accurate, and SAFE.

Bruce

[Phil Pritchard]

I find it amazing that so many people reckon it is quicker/safer to use a dado head on the table saw rather than using a spindle moulder (shaper). I just wonder what percentage of those responding had evere learned how to use a shaper, let alone owned on?

Phil

[Jim Becker]

Phil, I suspect that the percentage of folks in our community who own a "true" spindle shaper is relatively low compared to the larger population. Most of the owners will be pros or hobbyists that opt for higher end equipment. A larger percentage will have a router table setup that can be used for rebates similar to a true shaper. I'd be pretty confident that stacked dado sets are very common in the population.

I'll also make the comment that many of us, while having a "preferred" method for cutting rebates, grooves and dados, will use alternative methods when appropriate or necessary. I generally like a dado set, but use a guided router from time to time, too. But I'll also acknowledge that I may use the router more now that I have a sliding table saw in my shop...my machine will take a dado set, but depending on the operation, it may just be more convenient to use either the table mounted router (physically on my slider in the same relative position a shaper might live) or my guided tool system. (Festool in my case)

[Tom Jones III]

Phil/Jim do you think anyone would have voted differently if I had put router in the poll instead of shaper?

Last night I used the method that Mark Singer suggested. It worked fine, but I did not like the idea of taking off the guard and the splitter, then getting my hands extremely close to the blade even if the blade was buried in the wood.

If Mark had not suggested it, then I certainly never would have tried something like that, I'm not sure I will use that method again. There is no real way to utilize push sticks or other safety features and I just don't think it is safe to have your hands that close to the blade. The shaper with its strong hold downs, keeping the guard in place and using a push stick would make it a virtually risk free operation with the quality of the cut not depending on steady hands and 2 blade setups.

[Andrew Williams]

This is why I stick by my recommendation to keep the piece wide, maybe 6-8 inches when cutting the groove and rabbet. Rip it free later.

[Jim Becker]

Tom, I did notice the absence of a router on the poll, but forgot to mention it.

I've used Mark's method any number of times on solid stock that is large enough (but not too large) to cut safely that way. In fact, the rear posts/legs on my recent cherry guest bath cabinet were handled that way. Yes, you do need to remove the splitter and I do recommend feather boards to keep the stock against the fence. (If you have a riving knife, you can set it just below the top of the blade height and keep in on the saw during non-through cuts like this for added safety from "pinching")

[Jeff Wright]

Phil/Jim do you think anyone would have voted differently if I had put router in the poll instead of shaper?

I voted SOMETHING ELSE to reflect my preference for the router table, at least on pieces as small as your 30" ones. The SOMETHING ELSE category is up to 40% of the respondents as of this date/time. I would suspect a lot of that 40% represents router tables.

[Rod Sheridan]

Tom, after the moving fillister plane, I vote for the shaper as the second safest method.

I normally make all my rebates on it, so it sits with a straight cutter in it most of the time. The shaper cutter leaves a perfectly crisp 90 degree corner, with none of the ridges that many dado cutters leave.

In addition it's easy to install many different types of hold downs, or a power feeder to keep your fingers safe.

I guess if I owned a router and table, it would be choice #3, followed by a dado cutter in the table saw.

Regards, Rod.

[Andrew Williams]

Still nobody has addressed that second rabbet to complete the T. Assuming that you already ripped the stock to width (my vote for second-safest method as you already know LOL) , I think the safest way is on the shaper/router table. However, cutting the second rabbet means you must support the cut on the little part of the T, upside-down. I recommend building a sled with hold-downs to match the profile of the rabbet exactly, and use that to push the stock through the shaper for the second rabbet.

[Lee Schierer]

I'd make this cut with a rip blade in my TS, four passes and it is done.

As I understand the question your stock is 1/2" X 3 and some length.

Set the blade height to 3/8 above the table and the outside edge of the blade 1" from the fence. Run the piece through one, flip it and run it through the second time. Then raise the blade height to 1" and set the fence so the inside of the blade is 1/8" away from the fence. Use feather boards to hold the piece tight to the fence and a push stick to push it through the cut. Make sure the feather board is behind the front edge of the blade so you don't pinch the cut off against the blade. You can have a second feather board behind the blade to hold the piece against the fence as it exits, but be sure the feather board only touches the ceter rib of the "T". Make the first cut, flip the piece end for end and make the second cut. Your offcuts should fall clear of the blade. You must have a zero clearance insert to do theis cut safely.

[Roland Chung]

Another vote for something else (router table). Just tried out a new 1-1/4" mortising bit. Adjusted the fence to make 3/4" wide rabbets by 1/4" deep. Results were safe, clean and fast with no dust. If I had to do the second rabbet, I would run one side first then clamp a shim onto the router table and then run the second side. I'd also use push pads like you'd use on a jointer.

RC